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Is the J-1 visa your only option? What about entering as an F-1 student? With the J-1 visa, you sometimes do have to return to your home country for 2 years so that's a definite consideration. There are waivers available but those can be hard to receive. However, a waiver may be easier to obtain for a UK national than for a national of a third world country. Other than that, I don't have any other advice. Good luck!

Paddy, I'm in the exact same situation you are. I've been researching this for a while now, and I think the situation is that: We have to demonstrate significant ties to the UK (family, friends, entire life here, etc), in order to prove to immigration that we do not intend to violate the visa rules (this includes intending to return once we're done). However, if we do get a job offer while in the states, the F1 student visa can be converted to a work visa.

Even if we don't get job offers while out there, US immigration has five categories of immigrants, and as holders of the JD we'd be in the second highest, which should make it easier than most people find it to immigrate back, although there would be the problem of getting a job offer from this side of the pond.

Hey, I know this doesn't exactly fit into "Applying to law school", but maybe someone can help: as an international student (from England), it is possible for me to go to law school in America on a J1 (student) Visa. However, for this visa you are supposed to to say that you intend to return to your home country after completing your studies. for any non-U.S.citizen hoping to work (in any job) in America, it is very difficult to gain a visa that will let you work. Essentially, your employer is supposed to be able to prove that they are employing you because they cannot find a suitable American to do the job. ... my goal is to go to law school in America, and then live in America the rest of my life, working as a lawyer. I have yet to research it properly, but it would seem to me that even if I went to a good law school in America, and then passed the bar, it would be very hard to find employment because of the visa issue. ... does anyone have any thoughts, or know of any international students who have gone on to practice law in America? thanks in advance.

Hmm, I know people who are foreign nationals working at ibanks next year. Fragomen (large immigration law firm) handles most of this stuff. Can't you get an H1B directly after school to work?